Canadian Grocer

What Canadian Grocer does

Canadian Grocer is a B2B trade-media brand serving the Canadian grocery and food retail industry. Founded in 1886 and headquartered in Toronto, it operates as a subsidiary of North American media company EnsembleIQ. Its product surface combines a daily-updated news website, a print and digital magazine, four recurring awards programs (Star Women in Grocery, Generation Next, Impact Awards, Golden Pencil), two conferences (GroceryTech Canada, GroceryConnex), expert columnist features, webinars, and proprietary research products including the GroceryIQ shopper study and Category Captains feature. Editorial coverage spans grocery retailers (Loblaw, Sobeys/Empire, Metro, Walmart Canada), CPG manufacturers (PepsiCo Canada, Danone Canada, Saputo), and emerging food-tech entrants (FoodHero). The publication is recognized as the most influential brand among Canadian grocery decision-makers and was awarded six Eddie & Ozzie Awards in 2025 for editorial and design excellence.

The underlying technology is a standard digital media publishing stack: a content website (canadiangrocer.com), email newsletter delivery, event registration infrastructure for conferences and awards, and a digital flipbook magazine archive. No proprietary AI/ML features, APIs, or SDKs are disclosed; AI is covered editorially (e.g., Loblaw's agentic-commerce partnerships with Google and OpenAI) rather than deployed as a product capability. Sales, marketing, and event operations are likely shared with the EnsembleIQ parent, given the Canadian Grocer entity itself lists 1–10 employees.

The business model follows the classic B2B trade-publication four-stream structure: recurring print and digital magazine subscriptions, digital and newsletter advertising, sponsored content, and event sponsorships and registrations. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; advertising and sponsorship rates are gated behind a sales-team contact. Customer segments are primarily enterprise — large Canadian grocers and global CPG manufacturers — with secondary audiences of independent grocers, industry analysts, and emerging professionals reached through the awards programs. Geographic scope is exclusively Canada.

Name

Canadian Grocer

Legal name

EnsembleIQ (Canadian Grocer)

Website

https://canadiangrocer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Canadian Grocer is a B2B trade-media brand, founded in 1886, serving the Canadian grocery and food retail industry with news, magazines, awards programs, conferences, and proprietary research. A subsidiary of EnsembleIQ, it reaches enterprise retailers, CPG manufacturers, and food-industry professionals across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Media and Industry Events

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Trade publication
• Grocery industry news
• Retail media
• CPG insights
• Industry events

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine subscriptions: Subscription-based access to print and digital magazine content covering grocery industry news, trends, and research.
2. Digital advertising: Banner advertising, sponsored content, and promotional placements on the Canadian Grocer website and digital properties.
3. Event sponsorships and registrations: Revenue from event sponsorships, awards ceremonies, and conference registrations for industry events like GroceryTech Canada, Star Women in Grocery, and Generation Next Awards.
4. Newsletter marketing: Newsletter sponsorships and promotional placements distributed to subscriber base.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Canadian Grocer publishes daily news, in-depth magazine features, research reports, and expert commentary covering the Canadian grocery and food retail sector. It operates an integrated B2B media platform that includes industry awards programs (Star Women in Grocery, Golden Pencil, Generation Next, Impact Awards), live events and conferences (GroceryTech Canada, GroceryConnex), and proprietary research such as the GroceryIQ shopper study.

Product overview

Canadian Grocer is a B2B media publication providing industry news, insights, and research for the Canadian grocery and food retail sector. The publication operates a unified platform combining news coverage with industry awards programs (Star Women in Grocery, Golden Pencil, Generation Next, Impact Awards), events (GroceryTech Canada, GroceryConnex), and research products (GroceryIQ shopper study, special reports). The publication covers multiple product categories including Beverages, Dairy/Deli/Bakery, Health & Wellness, Meat & Seafood, Non-Food, Plant-based, and Produce, while featuring new product launches through its 'New on Shelf' section and providing expert commentary through its contributor network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Canadian Grocer Magazine Print and digital publication providing in-depth features, industry analysis, executive interviews, and trend coverage for grocery sector professionals in Canada.
• Daily News Coverage Daily digital news articles covering retail, manufacturing, supply chain, regulatory updates, and consumer trends across the Canadian grocery industry.
• GroceryIQ Shopper Study Annual proprietary research product providing insights into Canadian grocery shopping behavior, attitudes, and category-level preferences.
• GroceryTech Canada Conference Annual technology conference for grocery industry professionals covering retail technology, digital commerce, and AI innovations.
• GroceryConnex Industry conference focused on grocery sector innovation, networking, and best-practice sharing for retail and CPG leaders.
• Star Women in Grocery Awards Annual awards program honoring women leaders in the Canadian grocery and food retail industry.
• Generation Next Awards Awards program celebrating emerging leaders and innovators under 40 in the Canadian grocery sector.
• Impact Awards Industry awards recognizing outstanding achievements and measurable impact in the Canadian grocery sector.
• Category Captains Annual editorial feature recognizing leading CPG brands and their strategic category partnerships with retailers across grocery categories.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FoodHerocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026FoodHero, a surplus food app company, expanded to independent grocers following a successful pilot project in Montreal. Canadian Grocer provides editorial coverage of FoodHero's expansion and impact in reducing food waste across the Canadian grocery sector. FoodHero is available at more than 1,000 stores across Canada and reports helping divert seven million pounds of food from waste in 2025.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Grocery Dive: Digital-first B2B trade publication covering the grocery industry under Industry Dive. Comparable in grocery retail vertical focus and CPG/retailer audience, but primarily digital-only and US-centric.
• Progressive Grocer: Long-standing US B2B trade publication serving the grocery industry with news, research, and awards. Highly comparable in editorial coverage, awards programming (e.g., Top Women in Grocery), and advertiser base of CPG manufacturers and grocery chains.
• Winsight Grocery Business: US-based B2B grocery trade media brand (Winsight) covering retail grocery, technology, and CPG trends. Closely comparable in audience (grocery buyers/CPG), content categories, and event-driven model, though focused on the US market.
• Store Brands (EnsembleIQ): Sibling B2B trade publication under EnsembleIQ covering private label/store brand products. Direct internal peer with shared parent resources, overlapping retailer and CPG advertiser base, and similar event/awards content model.
• Convenience Store News: B2B media brand covering convenience retail and adjacent food retail. Comparable in trade media model, awards programming, and CPG advertiser relationships, but focused on convenience stores rather than traditional grocery.
• Food in Canada: Canadian B2B publication covering food and beverage processing/manufacturing. Adjacent peer serving overlapping CPG audience in Canada, with comparable print/digital/event model and advertiser overlap (PepsiCo, Danone, Saputo).
• Grocery Business Magazine: Canadian B2B trade publication covering the grocery retail industry. It is the most direct domestic competitor to Canadian Grocer, targeting the same Canadian grocer and CPG audience with overlapping news, features, and awards content.
• Supermarket News: US-focused B2B media brand covering supermarket retail, technology, and consumer packaged goods. Comparable in target audience (grocery executives), coverage scope, and reliance on display advertising plus events.

Broad incumbents

• Retail TouchPoints: US B2B media brand covering retail technology, customer experience, and omnichannel. Comparable in retail-technology content angle and event programming (Retail TouchPoints conferences), overlapping with Canadian Grocer's GroceryTech Canada vertical.

Regional players

• Canadian Restaurant News / Foodservice and Hospitality: Canadian B2B trade publication covering the foodservice industry. Comparable in Canadian-domestic media model and CPG/restaurant advertiser overlap, though focused on foodservice rather than grocery retail.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-grocer-magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canadian Grocer